Flotilla Ilkley Summer 7s Festival Another Huge Success at Ilkley Rugby Club

The Flotilla Ilkley Summer 7s once again proved why it has become one of Yorkshire's premier summer rugby festivals, as players, volunteers, sponsors and supporters came together for another outstanding day at Stacks Field.

Despite the typical Yorkshire drizzle keeping temperatures cool throughout the day, spirits were anything but dampened as the teams competed across three competitions in front of a fantastic crowd. From the first whistle until the final presentations, the club was buzzing with competitive rugby, great food, live entertainment and the community spirit that has become synonymous with the Ilkley Summer 7s.

Ilkley Rugby Club Chairman Nigel Jenkinson praised everyone involved in making the event another success.

"The event goes from strength to strength every year and continues to establish itself as one of the highlights of the Yorkshire rugby calendar. A huge thank you must go to Rhys Morgan and all of the volunteers who give up so much of their time behind the scenes to make this event such a success."

Tournament organiser and Director of Rugby Rhys Morgan was delighted with how the day unfolded.

"It was another fantastic day for the club and a brilliant showcase of what Ilkley Rugby Club is all about. Despite the weather, the standard of rugby was outstanding across all three competitions and congratulations go to all of our winners, especially Filthy Fifths for taking the Ladies Open title and Ilkley 7s for bringing the Men's Open trophy home in front of our own supporters. I'd like to thank every team, volunteer, sponsor and supporter who helped make the day such a success. A special mention must also go to Dave Richardson, who did a tremendous job ensuring every fixture ran smoothly throughout the day, along with Graeme Hall, the Yorkshire Society referees and every match official, whose professionalism was instrumental in delivering another first-class tournament."

Tournament Winners

Men's Open Cup Winners

Ilkley 7s

Men's Open Runners Up

OG's

Men's Open Plate Winners

Try It 7s

Ladies Open Cup Winners

Filthy Fifths

Ladies Open Runners Up

West Park Ladies

Ladies Open Plate Winners

Donny Demons

Men's Social Cup Winners

Hotham

Men's Social Plate Winners

Bradford Old Boys

Men's Player of the Tournament

Harry Harrison

Ladies Player of the Tournament

Caitlin Washington

Away from the action on the pitches, visitors enjoyed fantastic food and drink throughout the day. A huge thank you goes to Sachi's, Loaf & Loaded, Goodfellows Cocktails, Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream, our club BBQ team, pizza providers and everyone involved in keeping players and spectators well fed and refreshed.

The club would also like to thank all of our event sponsors for their continued support, with special thanks to headline sponsor Flotilla, whose backing helped make this year's tournament possible.

We are incredibly grateful to every volunteer who gave up their time before, during and after the event. From setting up pitches and welcoming teams to running the bars, catering, registrations and presentations, the tournament simply would not happen without the efforts of so many people working behind the scenes.

Thank you also to every player, coach, supporter and official who travelled to Ilkley and helped create another fantastic atmosphere throughout the day.

Special thanks must also go to Peter and Cecile Clark from RuggerPix, whose photography once again captured the spirit, intensity and enjoyment of the tournament from first game to final presentation. Check out their TWO albums from the action at the 7s here.

Outstanding Support for the Pre-7s Raffle

The club was also delighted with the success of the 2026 Pre-7s Tournament Raffle, which raised an outstanding £3,140 for Ilkley Rugby Club.

The six raffle prizes, all premium bottles of whisky, were very kindly donated to the club, and we extend our sincere thanks to everyone who purchased tickets and supported the fundraiser.

Congratulations to our winners:

• Ben Taylor

• James Tyler (Family Member)

• Brian Bouttell (Life Member)

• Colin Forrest (Patron)

• David Hornsby (Life Member)

• Graham Moore (Family Member)

  
  

The generosity shown by everyone involved made a significant contribution towards the continued development of rugby at Ilkley Rugby Club.

As another memorable Ilkley Summer 7s comes to a close, the club would like to thank everyone who played a part in making the day such a success. From the organisers and volunteers to the sponsors, officials, vendors, photographers and supporters, it was a true team effort.

Planning is already underway for next year's tournament, and after another fantastic day at Stacks Field, the future of the Flotilla Ilkley Summer 7s looks brighter than ever.